Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, Egg Yolk: A Saucy Marriage Made In Heaven

June 30, 1986|By Peter Kump.

The two great cold sauces in Western cooking are vinaigrette and mayonnaise. We are so used to mayonnaise as a bottled spread that it may surprise some to learn that it is one of the world`s greatest sauces.

It also is considered one of the ``mother`` sauces because with simple additions it produces ``children,`` or small sauces.

Mother sauces are the bases of hundreds of other sauces. Once you understand these, it becomes relatively uncomplicated to grasp the lot.

While I insist that my students learn to make mayonnaise by hand, using an electric hand beater, a blender or a food processor is a less strenuous method to prepare mayonnaise.

THE START OF THE SAUCES

Vinaigrette, the most basic sauce, is simply lemon juice with olive oil. Someone probably discovered by accident the principle that makes it thicken and stay together. The result: mayonnaise, a classic combination of lemon juice and olive oil bound with an egg yolk.

Lemon juice and olive oil naturally resist each other on the same principle that oil and water don`t mix. It takes a third element, an emulsifier, to bring them together.

Egg yolk is a wonderful emulsifier; its fat molecules bond with the oil and water, which mix with the acid. It takes a lot of motion to break through the resisting tension of these opposing elements, like opposing magnets, and make them unite. It also helps when all elements are the same temperature.

ASSURING SUCCESS

I have students warm the yolks, vinegar and mustard until slightly thickened; this is done before the oil is added. This assures almost 100 percent success when making mayonnaise by hand.

Besides having everything at the same temperature, it is important to:

-- Combine the egg yolk, a little vinegar and a mustard and gently warm it over low heat (over boiling water is recommended), stirring gently to keep the yolk from scrambling but allowing it to thicken.

-- Add the first 2 tablespoons of oil a drop or two at a time, whisking continually, until a light emulsion, resembling a yellow mayonnaise, begins. Only then can you start adding oil a tablespoon at a time, but never stop whisking.

Carl Sontheimer, the genius behind the Cuisinart food processor, solved this problem by putting a pin hole in the bottom of the white feed tube pusher. If you have one, look for it. Most food processors have that feature now, but most people aren`t even aware of it.

Once the yolk, mustard and vinegar are in the bowl, put the oil in the hollow part of the pusher, and as it dribbles in with the machine running you`ll be forming a perfect mayonnaise.

Keep the same principle in mind when making mayonnaise with a blender or a hand beater: Always start with a very, very thin stream of oil going in. Also, with the blender or food processor it usually is necessary to use a whole egg; the yolk alone does not provide enough volume for the machine to work properly. If you were making several yolks` worth, you could use the same formula.

DIVORCE, MAYONNAISE-STYLE

When learning, it is important to fail once or twice. Only in learning how to overcome mistakes do you truly master cooking techniques. When mayonnaise breaks, curdles or ``turns,`` it means that the emulsion, or marriage, is over. The oil and acid have separated.

Never be too smug if you never have had a problem, especially if you use a machine. I recall catering a party where I needed a lot of mayonnaise. I was making it in a food processor before the pin hole had been added. I was in a rush, didn`t pay attention and the sauce broke. I started again, and it broke once more. I finally did it by hand, a way that requires total attention.

EASIER 2D TIME AROUND

If the sauce turns, all is not over. In fact, it is easier to make mayonnaise from a turned sauce than from scratch.

Put the turned sauce into a glass measuring cup. Add about 1 tablespoon of mustard into the bowl and heat it until it is hot to the touch.

Then, as though starting from scratch, use the turned sauce as your oil. Whisk the turned sauce a little bit at a time into the mustard, waiting for another addition until you can see that the emulsion has formed and is uniform. It should happen very quickly.

THE BASIC FORMULA

An egg yolk can marry only so much oil with so much acid; so you must remember that 3/4 cup of oil is usually maximum that 1 large yolk can handle. If you use less oil, the sauce will be richer. The amount of vinegar and mustard are less important; use about 1 teaspoon of each, and add more, if you wish, to taste.

Lemon juice was the original acid, but red wine vinegar is more common now.

Olive oil was the first oil used, but if a mayonnaise is made entirely with olive oil it now tastes very strong to most people.

Usually a light oil such as safflower is more successful. If you wish, use 1 tablespoon of a good virgin olive oil for every 3 tablespoons of safflower. The olive taste will come through without being overpowering.

BASIC MAYONNAISE

About 1 cup

Preparation time: 8 minutes

1 large egg yolk

2 or 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 or 2 teaspoons dijon-style mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup safflower oil

1. Using a stainless steel bowl, whisk the egg yolk, half the vinegar, the mustard and salt over a very low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it thickens like a mayonnaise, leaving tracks in the bowl.

2. Immediately add a few drops of oil, whisking. As soon as it disappears add a few more drops, continuing until the mixture has a mayonnaise appearance. Then start adding oil 1 teaspoon or 2 at a time, always whisking. 3. Add the rest of the vinegar halfway through, then continue adding the rest of the oil.